The Importance of Being Sane
by Sharyn
Summary: Sain beings to realise how important it is just to stay sane in times of war and personal turmoil. [RavenxLucius, full pairings list inside story]
1. Act 1 A Gentlemanly Approach

  
**TITLE:** The Importance of Being Sane  
**CHAPTER:** Act 1 - A Gentlemanly Approach  
**AUTHOR:** Sharyn (sxzha[at]yahoo.com)  
**SERIES:** Fire Emblem 7 - Rekka no Ken  
**RATING:** PG-13  
**WARNINGS:** The rating is justified. There is some bad language in this, and some darker adult themes (attempted rape, blood, violence etc.) Also this is a piece containing shounen-ai, which if you have no idea means that there may be guys liking other guys and if this isn't your cup of tea or repulses you, hit the back button.  
This act does NOT contain any definite shounen-ai. I would suggest readers to try this chapter and see if it agrees with you, with or without the shounen-ai, before making a decision as to liking/disliking the concept of two guys together. There are also het couples as well, so fair warning at that too.  
**PAIRINGS:** Just in case people were interested . The main pairing of this series is Raven/Lucius (big gasp), although there are undertones of Sain/Lucius (even bigger gasp), with a large serving of side pairings, after all, I am known to write untraditional pairings (points to that quaint little fic called **_Silent Observers_** which was a Matthew/Jaffar) and my partner in crime Drala-chan suggested many unthought of pairings. This act though, contains implied Raven/Lucius (barely) and very very mild Sain/Lucius. Oh and Kent/Sain and Lyn/Kent should you want to read it that way.  
  
**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem 7 is copyright of Nintendo 2003, I make no claims to any of the characters, only to their interactions in this piece. If I actually owned FE7, I would be engaging in acts such as with   
  
-----   
  
**The Importance of Being Sane**  
_Act 1 - A Gentlemanly Approach_

It had been a truly long day, a long and taxing day. For Lucius, however, it was more than just physical exhaustion that plagued him. After House Cornwell had fallen, he had made a promise to stay by Lord Raymond, his former master, and together they had traveled as mercenaries. When they had joined as soldiers in House Caelin's army, they had no idea that the job would be as devastating as it had become. The events of earlier today had only confirmed this.

Lord Raymond, although he had changed his name to Raven to avoid suspicion was swayed yet again by the temptation of revenge upon the House Ostia. Amidst the heavy air of battle between Laus and Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood's band, Raven had left Lucius to pursue his revenge. Lucius didn't blame him, he had become too familiar with Raven's pain over his lost home over the period of time they spent together that he only felt compassion at his frustration, sorrow at his anger. And yet, beneath the layers of hate and hurt, there was a caring man. Lucius had seen evidence of a soul worn down by burdens meant to be carried by someone much older than nineteen and had heard the silent pleas of peace of mind that emanated from his friend.

Lucius sighed, he was very tired, and his temples throbbed as a headache loomed on the horizon. His headaches came quite often and while he had managed to learn how to block the majority of the pain that came with the dull throb in his head during such moments, the headaches usually drained him of energy. And that lead to his fits. He himself didn't know why he had them, it was an illness present in him ever since he had become an orphan. Still, he hoped that this headache wouldn't cause a fit, he didn't need to add to Lord Raymond's worries, especially when he was so torn between his desire for revenge and the need to protect his sister from the knowledge of his activities.

"Oh my eyes! I have been dazzled, such a beautiful light shines before me!" Sain's unexpected voice rang out startling Lucius from his contemplation.

He had traveled with Sain during the previous year along with Lady Lyndis but had been fortunate enough that the cavalier was, at the time, more smitten with Lady Lyndis to notice his presence amongst the band. For that, Lucius was very grateful. His feminine looks caused him more harm than good throughout his whole life and everyone felt the need to comment on them. And now, rejoining this group, Lucius almost groaned in frustration at being the recipient of Sain's attentions.

"Umm…" Lucius began, intending to end this nonsense by telling Sain that he was not a woman. Unfortunately, Sain had other ideas and cut him off straight away.

"Oh beauteous one, I believe we meet again after a year," he was saying, kneeled on one knee and holding his hand to his heart, "Grant me knowledge of your name so that I may utter it when you grace me with your radiant presence."

Lucius was somewhat surprised, after traveling together for so long, Sain still had not bothered to learn his name. It didn't irk him, but if he were a woman and was in the same position, he would have rejected Sain immediately for lack of insight on the cavalier's behalf.

"I'm Lucius and er…Sir Sain, is it?" Lucius tried again, fatigue biting at his patience, to inform Sain of his gender.

"My dearest heart, my name has never fallen so prettily from a pair of luscious lips," Sain said, reaching for Lucius' hand.

"Yes…Sir Sain," Lucius said, jerking his hand away, "I think I should tell you that I am…"

Sain shot him an expression of mock hurt as Lucius cradled his hand to himself, "Hush sweet beauty, tear apart not this knight's heart with your gentle worded rejection."

Lucius felt the beginnings of frustration rise up within him as he was determined to stop this foolishness. It was a very taxing day for him and he didn't need this kind of worrying attention now.

"Sir Sain, I must inform you that I am…"

"What glory you bring into my world, with hair putting the sun's morning rays to shame with its brilliance! And such deep expressive azure orbs that seem to see into the very depths of my heart and soul!" Sain closed his eyes and said with an impassioned tone of voice.

Lucius sighed, this was getting him nowhere and his headache had begun its reign of pain over his mind.

"Do not sigh in sorrow, delicate one. Allow me to shower you with praises you rightfully deserve!" Sain said shuffling closer to Lucius.

"…Never mind…" Lucius said, drawing a deep breath and just walked away from Sain, his gait not entirely steady. He could hear Sain's pleading for him to stay but he ignored them and concentrated on getting back to his room. His feet automatically took him down the corridors of Castle Caelin to the soldiers' quarters that he had stayed in with Lord Raymond. It was only when a hand gripped his shoulder stopping him in his tracks that he looked up and realised that he had been given a bedroom in the main area of the Castle, not the soldiers' barracks.

"Oh look guys," the man whose hand had gripped his shoulder said, "it seems like upstairs sent us a pretty little lady."

"Let me go," Lucius said, struggling to loosen his shoulder so that he could use both hands to defend himself and summon his spells if necessary.

"She's a feisty one isn't she?" another said coming up to grab his hand and kissed it mockingly.

"I'm not…" Lucius began to say, a little louder when both his hands were suddenly forced behind his back and secured. Meanwhile, his first captor had captured his face in his hands and was caressing it roughly while murmuring.

"About fucking time they sent us something to play with," he murmured and licked the side of Lucius' face while he squirmed in their grasp, "We're bloody men. They expect us to just sit back and await more orders without any reward."

"But you'll have to do for all of us," another man said and grasped at Lucius' backside.

Lucius closed his eyes and tried to concentrate so that he could form a spell and escape the place. However, both the struggle and his headache, not to mention the rough hands that were grabbing at him had weakened him further than he was already and he found himself slipping, losing grasp of consciousness. _Lord Raymond…_he thought wearily.

"What do you think you're doing!" a voice shouted through the haze forming in Lucius' mind, "Let her go now! What kind of soldiers do you think you are, handling a lady like that!"

Lucius registered Sain's voice and wondered what the cavalier was doing here.

"She's part of Lady Lyndis' personal band now, and if you touch her, I will not be responsible for any blood I may shed as a result," Sain's voice had lost its usual gaiety and had taken a more serious tone with the warning.

The hands were suddenly removed and Lucius found himself swaying a little bit in efforts to stand and Sain's arms came around him lightly. He looked up to see Sain giving glares to each of the soldiers and registered something about how their actions would be reported to Lady Lyndis and their judgement would be passed by her.

"Let…go," Lucius muttered, attempting to push Sain away from him but lacking the strength to do so.

"Shh…I won't do anything ok? On my honour as a knight," Sain said, his arms still circled around Lucius but barely touching him.

Out of the corner of his eyes Lucius saw one of the soldiers approach Sain with a stick planning to knock him out. Lucius gathered the last of his energy and recited a lightning spell which managed to hit double. As fatigue and his headache took control, blackness flooded his vision and he felt his grasp on reality loosen before finally breaking.

---

As Sain saw the burst of light that struck twice and someone behind him, he felt a weight fall against him. Holding Lucius firmly in his grasp, he punched the other incoming soldier before drawing his sword and knocking two other soldiers down using the flat of his blade.

"I gave you all fair warning," Sain said a frown gracing his normally pleasant features, "Do not come and bother Lucius or myself ever or else I will demonstrate proper Caelin sword work on your body."

With that, he replaced his sword into his scabbard and lifted Lucius and walked back to the main part of the castle, his mind running at a thousand miles per hour. Lucius felt insubstantial in his arms, like a child and Sain was shocked to feel how light he was. Even more so was the fact that he had seen Lucius strike a soldier down with a lightning spell. If he had remembered correctly, the young cleric Serra had said something about only extremely experienced light users could casts spells using the power of light.

"Just what are you, beautiful one?" Sain murmured as he climbed up a flight of stairs to the bedrooms where everyone else was.

He looked along the corridor and tried to figure out which of the rooms had been assigned to Lucius but after a few moments of frustrated thinking, he gave up and proceeded to his own room.

Inside, he lay Lucius down on his bed while he quickly looked over searching for injuries and noticed that there was a small scratch on one side of Lucius' face and a ring of darkening bruises along his wrist. Sain felt his anger well up at the callousness of the soldiers, beauty such as Lucius was extremely rare and to be admired like a finely crafted sword, not defaced and ruined like some common kitchen knife.

Sain stared at Lucius a moment longer before noticing a large bruise that had started to darken Lucius' pale skin near his collarbone. He was a little apprehensive when his trembling fingers touched the cloth that obscured that area before finally deciding that he ought to assess the damage before deciding whether or not to call a healer. Despite contrary belief, Sain did flirt with many women but he had never disrespected them in any way. It was times like this that he wished he wasn't so bound by his honour as he undid Lucius' top revealing a patch of pale skin marred by a bruise that was turning an ugly purple.

It was then that Sain made the biggest discovery of his day.

Lucius was male.

There was no doubt about it in Sain's mind as he assessed the lack of curves otherwise hidden by Lucius' loose clothing. Sain quickly reflected back on the conversation he had with Lucius earlier and finally noted Lucius' stumbled attempts at trying to inform him of something.

"I'm such an idiot," Sain said hitting himself in the head, "I didn't even notice…but you really are too beautiful."

Looking down at the sleeping beauty on his bed one last time and deciding that his injuries were unpleasant looking but not extremely serious. He probably just needed rest and Sain decided to leave him to it. Sain turned around and went out of his room, closing his door softly and looked around to see if he could find Kent. He needed someone to talk to and in the past Kent had always proved himself to be an extremely good listener, albeit a little wary on some of the comments Sain made. With that he walked to the room next to his and knocked.

"Who is it?" Kent said as he opened the door and looked at Sain with a peculiar expression on his face, "Sain, what is it?"

"Kent, who's at the door?" Lyn's voice sounded from behind Kent, "Oh, hello Sain."

Sain looked at the sight before him trying to decipher whether he had disturbed something he shouldn't have but neither Kent nor Lyn gave any indication that he had interrupted anything private.

"I was wondering if you are free," Sain said, directing the comment to Kent, "Did I interrupt anything?"

"No, Kent and I were just discussing a few things, but I was planning on leaving soon anyhow," it was Lyn who answered and quickly left, not before giving a small smile to Kent who returned it.

"What now?" Kent said.

"Do you have anything to drink?" Sain said, a look of despair quickly passed over his face before he glanced back at Kent who was looking at him with peculiarly, with a bit of sympathy.

"Come in," Kent said and stepped away from his door to allow his best friend into his room.

---

Kent noted the look of confusion on his best friend's face and knew whatever it was that Sain had wanted to confide in him was serious for he had rarely seen Sain in such a state. Sain didn't say anything as he entered the room, which was unusual for the other cavalier since under most situations Kent would have been trying to stop Sain's chatter. He went to a small cupboard on one side of his room and took a bottle of wine out and two glasses and set them on the small table in his room. He poured two glasses of red wine out and handed one to Sain and took one himself and seated himself down, indicating to Sain to do the same.

After a cautious sip Kent prompted, "Well?"

"When I said 'a drink' I had in mind something stronger than fine red wine. After all, this stuff is too delicate for me to be using for confession," Sain said with a bitter laugh.

"Tough, this is all I have," Kent said and took another sip savouring the taste of the wine.

"You're my best friend Kent," Sain said, not looking at the other cavalier, "You've seen me do some pretty stupid things before."

Kent merely nodded in acknowledgement, wondering what this was leading to.

"I fucked up badly today," Sain said after moment.

Kent was unsure as to what to say since Sain rarely ever swore and when he did, it was usually a sign that he was extremely stressed and possibly wallowing in self-pity or self-hate. Kent just sipped at his wine a little more and waited patiently for Sain to continue.

"Do you remember Lucius?"

"Wasn't he the monk we met a year ago? The one who joined up again with us today," Kent replied after a moment's thought.

"Yeah," Sain said and took a deep breath, "Did you know he was a guy?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, he was a monk. All monks in St. Elimine's service are male," Kent said.

"I didn't," Sain said, his expression darkening, "I didn't know he was a fucking guy."

"You didn't flirt with him did you?" Kent asked, his eyes narrowing in concern.

"Of course I did, I mean look at him, he's absolutely breathtaking. He's more beautiful than some of the women I've been with," Sain said with a resigned sigh, "I think he may have been tired, he ignored me and ran off to the soldiers' quarters."

"You followed him?" Kent asked already suspecting the answer.

"Yeah, I found a couple of the bastards trying to molest him," Sain's fists clenched, "Some of them have absolutely no honour to speak of, I will speak to Lady Lyndis about them and suggest that they resign."

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine, he's resting in my room at the moment," Sain said, "I didn't know which was his room so I just put him in mine."

Kent nodded in understanding.

"You should have seen the look on his face, he looked so vulnerable," Sain was speaking in a whisper now, "But I have never seen anyone so determined in that state."

"What will you do now?"

"I'll go apologise and then…" Sain trailed off, a far off expression present on his face.

"You don't actually feel anything for him do you?" Kent asked, slightly alarmed, "I mean you flirt with girls all the time but you don't feel anything for them. What's so different with him?"

"He needs someone to protect him, his determination can only last him to a certain extent. I…I should probably atone for my mistake," Sain said, "Even with him in the beginning it felt a bit different, he was more than just beautiful."

"He is a man," Kent reminded.

"Yes I know, but you haven't studied him. Gods, Kent, he looks as if he glows from inside. Even when I was making a fool of myself, he tried to tell me so gently that he was male," Sain shook his head.

Kent waited a few moments before he stood up and went to his bathroom to wash his hands off while he contemplated his friend's problem. It was apparent that something had happened between Sain and Lucius but what it was exactly, Sain wasn't even sure. It was more than just guilt, that much Kent could see. But could Sain actually be developing feelings for someone he had seen a handful of times and only truly met today, it was a little improbably especially considering Sain's reputation with women. Yet Kent couldn't ignore the nagging voice that told him people could change.

When Kent came out of the bathroom, Sain was hunched over the table, his head in his hands. After a quick observation, Kent noted that Sain had consumed most of his wine too. He walked over to his friend and tried to lift him to his feet.

"What?" Sain snapped at him. Kent knew from experience that when Sain was even a little drunk, his temper became quite short.

"I'm getting you into bed," Kent said and tried to drag him up but Sain stubbornly refused to move.

"I can't go back to my room, remember? A very pretty distraction is currently sleeping in my bed," Sain said with a snicker.

Kent hadn't thought of that, but he amended his plans quickly.

"You can take my bed," Kent said.

"What about you?" Sain asked.

"I was planning to look at some maps to see where we are heading anyhow," Kent made an excuse.

"Nonsense," Sain said, "If you don't mind helping…you could try and find out which room he was meant to be in and I'll sleep there."

Kent pondered this option for a moment and then toyed with the idea of moving the monk to his own room instead. Sain seemed to have sensed his thoughts because his eyes met his and Kent found himself receiving a furious glare from his best friend.

"You're not going to be moving him," Sain said in a soft tone, danger leaking through, "He doesn't need to be disturbed."

Kent put both his hands up in defeat and left his bedroom to search for the room where Lucius was supposed to be staying. The night had a promise of not ending anytime soon and Kent had a feeling that there were more events waiting around the corner.

-----

****

A/N: Well that concludes the first act of my Sain series. There are a total of three acts in the first part, and if things go according to plan there will be three parts altogether. To all who were looking for Raven/Lucius, I direct you to the second act of this part which will be devoted to Raven/Lucius. If time permits, I will be posting once every week so look out for the next installment. As always, comments and constructive criticism very welcome, even if it's to tell me you loved it or hated it.


	2. Act 2 Blue Eyes

  
**TITLE:** The Importance of Being Sane  
**CHAPTER:** Act 2 - Blue Eyes  
**AUTHOR:** Sharyn (sxzha[at]yahoo.com)  
**SERIES:** Fire Emblem 7 - Rekka no Ken  
**RATING:** PG-13  
**DISCLAIMER:** Fire Emblem 7 is copyright of Nintendo 2003, I make no claims to any of the characters, only to their interactions in this piece. If I actually owned FE7, I would be engaging in acts such as [censored for content] with [censored for implications]   
**WARNINGS:** Language, shounen-ai, which if you have no idea means that there may be guys liking other guys and if this isn't your cup of tea or repulses you, hit the back button.  
This act contains a snippet of graphic violence, nothing too big and can be skipped over. And also includings much hugging. MUCH hugging. But hugging nonetheless, nothing more.   
**PAIRINGS:** This act contains very blatant, unacknowledged Raven/Lucius. Also implied Sain/Lucius, undertones of Kent/Sain, Kent/Lyn and slightest suggestion of Hector/Matthew. If you choose to look at it that way, of course .  
  
**A/N:** Thank you to everyone who supported me and reviewed the first chapter. That is: **Cathy Barton, Crystal Sundrop, Drake and Jang, Noroi, RianneHime, Sindy** and a huge thank you to **Drala-chan** who provided me with much inspiration and suggestions. I will take the time to note here that I am rather sick and drifting off to sleep even as I type and upload this...so, any mistakes I may have committed and glossed over in my last minute haze of editing during my bout of sickness, please don't hesitate to let me know. If I accidently cut out a section or something, or did something else really stupid, feel free to yell at me when I'm better again. Till next time.....snooze  
  
-----  
  
**The Importance of Being Sane**  
_Act 2 - Blue Eyes_  
  
__

Rain slashed through the dark night devoid of mercy. Whiplashes of silver and white struck at the ground and the outline of a figure with a sword standing proudly next to him appeared for a moment. He merely stood as rain whipped at him, striking him with increasing ferocity. Lightning illuminated the setting around him, it showed a sickening sight, a massacre had taken place and bodies were piled up all around and even the skies seemed to be crying red tears. In a flash of bright light, the fighter's face was revealed. Dark red hair, ominous red eyes, a face with pain written clearly on it, a face bearing the various shades of blood. As if he was recognising his surroundings for the first time, he opened his mouth and a long howl speaking volumes of agony tore through the silent veil of midnight.

It was about an hour before sunrise when Raven awoke, or so his internal clock informed him. He had woken up with a sheen of sweat covering his forehead, the remnants of a nightmare that hadn't plagued him for quite some time lingering on his thoughts. Looking back, the last time he had that nightmare was when he and Lucius had been separated, over a year ago when the monk had first met Lady Lyndis.

It was as if Lucius was the light that kept his demons at bay, in the days that they were in Caelin's service as mercenaries, Lucius had always stayed in the same room as him and not once had his nightmares disturbed him. But after the previous day's exertions, combined with Lucius' absence, they had come back with full force, intent on terrifying and destroying him.

Raven looked outside at the still dark sky. It would be dawn soon and both he and Lucius had cultured the habit of awaking before it, him because he liked to do a few stretches to start his day off and Lucius because he liked to pray to the rising sun. He got out of bed and dressed quickly, deciding that the best course of action would be to find Lucius and maybe speak to his friend about his nightmares. Although Lucius fussed about him on occasion, he was usually a very good listener and the only one Raven would trust with anything.

Raven did his usual morning stretches and a few quick exercises before he walked to the room next to his and knocked. When he received no response, he assumed that Lucius may have not awoken yet, considering he looked very weary the day before, and entered the room intending to just sit at Lucius' bedside.

As soon as Raven entered the room, he knew something was wrong. He was so attuned to Lucius that he could sense the different atmosphere, it was like an absence of light. In a few brisk steps he approached the bed and hauled the sleeping figure out of it. He vaguely recognised the person to be one of Caelin's knights, but Raven was unable to place a name to the face.

"Wh-what?" the knight stuttered after experiencing a rude awakening.

"Who are you?" Raven said with a scowl, his hand still grasping the knight by his collar.

"I think I should be the one asking that…I'm Sain," Sain mumbled, a yawn cutting him off mid sentence.

"That's amusing, I was certain that this was Lucius' room," Raven said, his eyes narrowing betraying the light sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Could you let go?" Sain said, wriggling a bit, "Lucius is in my room."

Sain's nonchalant comment only served to tighten Raven's grasp on the collar of his nightshirt.

"Should I be asking why?" Raven said and threw Sain to one side and drew his sword out, the tip pointing straight at the cavalier sprawled out on the floor of the room.

"Woah, calm down!" Sain said looking at the tip of Raven's sword that hovered dangerously close to his nose.

Raven ignored Sain's protests and moved his sword down so that it pressed against his neck, the tip of it breaking the skin there. He stood, scowling at Sain in contempt, like an eagle hovering over its chosen prey. Although Raven was often considered an anti-social person, he was not, by nature, a violent one. After being exposed to the massacre of the whole of House Cornwell, the abundance of slaughter and excess violence made his skin crawl. However, even this did not deter him from his private worrying of Lucius' current wellbeing.

"Sir Sain!" a very familiar voice called out in concern from the open doorway.

Lucius entered the room with Kent trailing behind him, his azure eyes reflecting worry and what appeared to Raven to be disbelief. Before Raven could analyse it further, it was gone, replaced with the congenial expression Lucius always wore. Raven allowed himself a brief moment of relief and he retracted his sword without a word.

"Sain, is everything alright?" Kent asked, bending down to give his friend a hand up. Sain used it to help himself up but ignored Kent's question, instead he turned to Raven, a thunderous expression in place.

"What on earth was THAT?" Sain almost yelled the last part, "Who are you anyway?"

Raven was about to reply with a rude retort at the cavalier's question but Lucius came up to him and grasped his arm firmly before he could say anything.

"I'm very sorry, Sir Sain," Lucius was saying with an apologetic smile on his face, "This is all my fault."

Sain's anger seemed to have drained from his face as Lucius gently placed himself between Raven and Sain.

"This is Lord Raven, I have been traveling with him for many years now," Lucius said, "I usually pray with him in the mornings and I'm afraid I disrupted this schedule today. I am truly sorry for the misunderstanding."

Raven wanted to ask a few more questions regarding the sleeping situation of the two but a quick, almost pleading look from Lucius, left him resigned. He let Lucius soothe their way out of this situation, choosing not to bother with conversation. It wasn't like he enjoyed talking anyhow. The previous day only proved it when, in the middle of battle, an archer had approached him and started sprouting random greetings and thoughts to him.

"Hmph," Sain said, diverting his gaze to Raven and glared at him but Raven noticed his friend Kent elbow him, "I'm Sain, one of the knights in Caelin's service. Lucius collapsed yesterday and since my room was the most convenient at the time, I let him rest there."

Raven was unable to suppress the look of concern he shot Lucius and although he was definitely unhappy about the two knights witnessing the exchange, the smile Lucius practically beamed at him made him feel warm inside. Raven was enjoying his friend's presence when a strange look passed over Lucius' face.

"Sir Sain, you do know that I am male," Lucius made it a statement rather than a question.

Sain laughed, although to Raven, the action seemed a little forced. He noticed Kent staring intently at his friend, as if to gauge the integrity of his actions.

"Yeah, I had to check if you were injured," Sain said and shot Lucius a smile that could only have been described as rakish.

"And do you do that with all the ladies?" Lucius returned with an innocent expression before breaking out into a sly grin.

Sain however, did not look very happy with this comment and the lightheartedness of the grin faded from his face. Kent seemed to have noticed this and directed Sain towards the exit of the room, one hand placed on the small of his back.

"I think Sain should be getting back to his room. Lucius came up to me this morning asking for directions to where his room should be," Kent said, explaining a few things as he and Sain walked out of the room.

"Thank you Sir Kent," Lucius smiled. Raven gave the red cavalier a terse nod and closed the door of the bedroom as soon as the others were outside. With a quick move, Raven grabbed Lucius by his shoulders and slammed him against the wall. Raven didn't release him even when he saw the blond's small wince but he did caress the side of his face for a moment with a gentleness he wasn't aware he was capable of. He leaned in close and placed his face in the crook of Lucius' neck and took a few deep breaths, staying like that for a few moments to gather his wits. Lucius remained silent, waiting for Raven to give an explanation or to give any indication of his actions.

"I was worried," Raven said, a little hesitant, his words referring to many of his recent actions, "Can I just stay for a few moments?"

"It's alright," Lucius said soothingly and gently stroked his back and Raven could feel the tension in his body drain out.

"I'm sorry…" Raven whispered, barely audible but encompassing as much emotion as he ever dared to show to anyone. He released Lucius from his grasp and turned away, eyes closed and looking downcast. He couldn't pin point exactly why he was feeling so strongly to Lucius' earlier absence and current presence. And when he met Lucius' gaze again, he didn't bother hiding the fear or the worry he felt.

---

Lucius gasped at the intensity of emotion he saw reflected in Raven's eyes. He could count the times he had seen that amount of intensity in his longtime friend on one hand. He was still a little shaken from Raven's earlier, almost violent actions and were it not for the peculiarity of the situation, Lucius would have perceived Raven to be almost…adoring in the unusual caress.

"Lord Raymond?" Lucius said, approaching Raven slowly and was shocked to see his friend tremble a little with suppressed emotion.

"I thought you were gone too," Raven whispered, "You're all that I have left now and…I know I shouldn't have lost my temper yesterday and today but…it's just so rare that I feel so strongly about anything."

Lucius smiled wistfully at Raven and slid his arms around the other's waist, the movement slow and deliberate, gauging the reaction of the redheaded mercenary. Pressed close against Raven, Lucius could feel the small trembles that shook his friend's body and almost saw the waves of pain roll forth. He wasn't aware that Raven cared that much about him and seeing him worry so warmed Lucius inside and out.

"Let me explain what happened yesterday," Lucius murmured against Raven's back.

Raven nodded, barely perceptible and Lucius gave a thorough account of the previous day's happenings. He had originally thought to leave out some parts but when he met Raven's eyes, words seemed to just spill out of his mouth, like water from an opened dam.

"Lord Raymond?" Lucius said, after he had completed his explanation, "I…I wanted to tell you that I understand your concern. And that…I feel the same way for you too."

A slightly pink tinge stained his cheeks as he admitted what he felt for Raven. Actually, if he were to be honest with himself, he felt a lot more than that. It was as if Raven was his anchor to reality, the knowledge that if ever his illness came over him, there would be someone waiting for him to get better. Someone who would stay beside him until the body wracking shakes subside and be there to hand him that much needed glass of water at the exact moment.

"I don't think you understand what I feel for you," Raven said shortly causing Lucius' head to suddenly rivet towards the back of the mercenary's head.

"What do you mean, Lord Raymond?" Lucius asked, slightly perturbed.

"I…I'm not sure how to say it but," Raven said, shaking his head slowly as if to clear it and dislodged Lucius' arms around him, "You're the only thing that stands between me and revenge."

Lucius cocked his head in confusion, he didn't understand what Raven was trying to say because he was under the impression that revenge was the driving force in Raven's life. Raven seemed to have noted Lucius' confusion and continued, looking straight at him as he did so.

"You're the only thing that stops me from losing myself in my revenge."

It was then Raven's erratic behaviour all clicked together for Lucius, the explanation as to why Raven was so short tempered this morning with Sain. He had obviously had another nightmare, and Lucius knew from experience whenever they had lodged together that Raven's nightmares usually involved him losing himself in the bloodshed of a massacre that was justified by his desire for revenge. Whenever Lucius stayed with Raven, he tried to soothe Raven's worried mind by draining some of his concerns and replacing it with his own light. Of course then those concerns would be passed to the monk, but he had stopped caring about this aspect of his wellbeing long ago when he realised he could aid Raven mentally and emotionally.

"Was it bad?" Lucius asked and he knew that Raven understood exactly what he was asking.

"The usual," Raven said, although his nonchalance was betrayed by the slightly haunted expression he wore on his face, "Although I managed to wake up before the worst of it."

"Lord Raymond, I…"

"Don't," Raven said sharply, his hand coming up to stop Lucius approaching him any further, "I don't want your worry. Just stay with me, please?"

Lucius smiled and nodded, "Always, Lord Raymond, always."

Raven seemed to be truly relaxed for the first time that morning and he let a small smile slip, directed at Lucius. And to Lucius' utmost surprise, he found himself gathered into a pair of strong arms that fumbled in the unfamiliar gesture of a hug.

Before he could think anymore on it, Raven let go abruptly and left the room, saying on his way out, "I'll be around when you need me."

After Lucius was certain that Raven was not in the vicinity, did the smile on his face crumble. He stared at the open door and after a brief moment, a whisper that could have been a draught of wind passing through had the windows been open sounded.

"I love you too…Raymond."

---

"Oh blast this!" Sain muttered as he stomped back towards Lucius' room, realising that he had left his armour and weapons there when he was rudely awoken earlier.

__

That man…Raven was it? He had death in his eyes, Sain thought as he reflected back on the events earlier that left him with a newly forming scab on his neck that was prone to bleeding whenever he moved his head around too much.

His mind wandered back to the topic he had been ruminating on earlier. Lucius. The man seemed to be one puzzle after another, and seeing how he dealt with Raven earlier only furthered the mystery around the blond monk. It was apparent that the two were close, but the exact nature of their relationship Sain was unable to determine. It was nothing like the comradely relationship he had with Kent, although the absence of scolding from the red cavalier for Sain's actions came as a surprise who thought it was completely unlike the other knight to break tradition. It was more than a platonic brotherly relationship too, Sain noted as he recalled how Raven had calmed considerably as soon as Lucius entered the room. What else did that leave?

__

Lovers, a small voice in his mind whispered, _they could very well be lovers._

Sain shoved the offending thought out of his mind, he refused to believe that the two were lovers although doubts expressed themselves to his rather troubled mind. The thought somehow disturbed him more than it ought to. Still, any other thoughts that may have arisen unbidden in his mind were cut short as he approached his destination. But only to arise up in full force when a bare whisper floated from the sole blond occupant of the room.

"I love you too…Raymond."

__

Raymond? Sain thought, _Who's Raymond?_

Sain knocked on the door quietly and Lucius jumped at his sudden presence.

"Sir Sain!" Lucius said, looking as if a faint flush threatened to spill over his pale complexion, "Can I help you?

"Er…I believe my armour is here," he said, making his way towards the pile of metal that stood, giving off a dull gleam where the morning sunlight fell upon them. "You don't mind if I just change here? It's a bit hard to lug all of this back."

"Ah, it's alright," Lucius said and politely averted his gaze as Sain began assembling his armour, "I don't believe I have thanked you properly for yesterday."

"It was nothing," Sain said pausing his dressing for a moment and allowing a sly grin creep up on his face, "Besides, I was still under the impression I was saving a very beautiful damsel in distress."

At this comment, the blush that had been threatening to bloom on Lucius' face finally won and he turned a quaint shade of scarlet.

"Uh…" Lucius spluttered for a moment while trying to obviously regain some form of composure.

Sain turned around, fully dressed and caught sight of Lucius' alarmingly red face and couldn't help but tease the monk.

"You look adorable when you do that."

"Sir Sain!" Lucius said, mildly affronted and Sain grinned. But he then noticed the upset look on Lucius' face and the grin dissolved immediately.

"I apologise for offending you," Sain said.

"It's…not you," Lucius mumbled after a moment, "It's me. I…"

"What is it?"

"Never mind," Lucius smiled faintly at Sain, "I had better be going, I wanted to see Lady Lyn since I did not get a chance yesterday."

Lucius almost ran out of the room, Sain noted as he watched the monk disappear along the corridors. However, implanted in his mind was the look on Lucius' face earlier that was half disappointment and half terror. The usually bright azure eyes turning to a dark shade of blue like clouds before the arrival of a thunderstorm. And for some reason, Sain had a feeling that the initial thunder had just begun to sound and the flashes of lightning were not even close yet.

Obviously there was a lot to look forward to.

---

Lyn was looking at possible routes to Dread Isle that she and Kent had come up with yesterday when a gentle knock sounded on her door. She turned around and was not completely surprised to see Lucius at the door. She smiled at the monk, her mind leafing through memories of their journeying together a year ago where she had, unbeknownst to most, spent many spare moments wondering why life was so full of injustice and why such delicate features had been gifted to this man.

Oh yes, she was jealous, definitely, but after a few conversations with him, she had realised that the monk was one of the sweetest people around. Just being around Lucius seemed to ease any tensions in mind or body.

"It's very good to see you again, Lady Lyn," Lucius said.

"Definitely, how have you been Lucius?" Lyn replied, "How was it that you joined us again? I apologise since I wasn't nearby at the time."

"I was working as a mercenary with a friend of mine, Raven, and we worked at Caelin as soldiers for a while. Raven was also the one who mentioned to me that you were fighting alongside Lords Hector and Eliwood, so," Lucius gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Either way, it's good to have you traveling with us again. I'm sure we can settle a good rate for both you and Raven."

Lucius nodded, "Um…Lady Lyn, would I be able to ask a favour of you?"

Lyn looked at Lucius for a moment trying to determine what the favour was before she agreed but nothing on the smiling face betrayed the owner's intentions.

"What is it?" she said, finally relenting.

"I know that you are possibly the one who is closest to the tactician with whom we travel. I…I would be so bold to make a request that Lord Raven may be with me during combat, if possible."

Lyn was speechless for a moment as she watched Lucius' blue eyes fixate on something fascinating that had appeared on the floor. This was peculiar, it was true that the tactician was closest to her and that her requests or suggestions would be taken into account above all others but this particular request was one she had not received before.

"I'll see what I can do, but before that, I must ask why."

"I wish to keep Lord Raven from foolish actions," Lucius replied simply and finally turned to meet her eyes. She could see no sign of perjury within the azure orbs and nodded her assent.

"I will pass on your request then, Lucius."

"Thank you for your time, Lady Lyn, I shall leave you to your work," Lucius said and with a bow, exited the room.

__

How strange Lyn thought as she turned back to the numerous maps before her, _I must see what's so special about this 'Raven'._

---

Hector didn't make a habit out of eavesdropping, no, he may have been prone to immediate, childish actions but he did not eavesdrop on conversations. He had Matthew to do that for him. The spy had brought back some interesting snippets of conversation that were interesting, true, but did little to alleviate the feeling of ill boding that had fallen upon the Ostian lord ever since the siege of Castle Caelin. It was like a tingling on the back of his neck as if someone was constantly staring at him. Yet, most people within the small party didn't seem to sense any danger, so Hector had Matthew do a little looking around to see if he could gather any information.

Hector mulled over what information Matthew had gathered, all relating to some foolish actions by the Caelin knight Sain, the Green Lance who had apparently developed some sort of attraction towards the monk that just joined the party. According to Matthew, the monk was trustworthy, and the thief had traveled with him before. Yet there was something else nagging at him.

He looked back down at the notes and with a sigh of frustration exited the room, still trying to think. It annoyed Hector to no degree that the spy was faithful to him but preferred to deliver his reports with cryptic comments that often provided the basis for the young lord's frustration. What was it that Matthew had mentioned earlier regarding the monk again?

__

Something about a bird and looking good…Hector slapped a hand to his head and gave up. He would think about it tomorrow.

-----

**Next Act:** In which a bird is shot in an elaborate plot,   
Where nefarious intentions lead to unpleasant confrontations.  
Emotions run completely astray, and we all ask: Is Sain gay?  
  
Look out for the third and final act of **_The Importance of Being Sane_** but before that, a small interlude to bring out the laughs featuring better than Pantene Pro-V hair, the beautiful green of envy, a certain uppity cleric and a horse.  
  
Ok, that was strange. I know I'm sick to the point of being delirious when I start sprouting rhyming lines and incorporate the question "Is Sain gay?" I'm going to bed. 


End file.
